FIRE RAZES NFF HEADQUARTERS

The headquarters of the Nigeria Football federation [NFF] in the Wuse Zone 7 District of Abuja has been gutted by fire.

The cause of the fire is unknown at this time but the Federation’s spokesperson, Ademola Olajire, confirmed the incident. Read more

Umeh Storms Out of NFF Meeting

The factional President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Mike Umeh, walked out of the convoked board meeting held yesterday, just as a former Secretary General of the federation, Taiwo Ogunjobi had the 10- year ban imposed on him lifted.

The scenario at the meeting presided over by Aminu Maigari, the first since he regained control of the executive committee after FIFA reversed his impeachment, underlined the rift at the ‘Glass House’ ahead of the elective congress scheduled for next Tuesday. Read more

I’m Tired Of Waiting For The NFF – Keshi

Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi may have said his farewell to the Super Eagles after he said he was tired of waiting for a new contract from the Nigeria Football Federation.

The representatives of the former Hawks of Togo coach have been locked in talks with the Nigeria football federation in a bid to agree terms for a new contract, but with anything yet to come out of the contract talks, Keshi may have decided to call it quits with the negotiations. Read more

Nigerian Doctor Who Detected First Case of Ebola Dies

Ebola has claimed the life of a member of one of Nigeria’s most illustrious families. Dr Ameyo Stella Adadevoh, 58, great granddaughter of Nigeria’s Herbert Samuel Macaulay, succumbed to the disease late on Tuesday.

Nigeria’s health minister says the administration has made strides in containing the Ebola disease by implementing a “multidimensional and Multi-sectorial” approach to combat the disease after some infected patients were successfully treated and discharged.

There have been 12 confirmed Ebola cases in Nigeria with at least four deaths. Read more

APC, PDP row over Boko Haram links

“I am optimistic that within one month of an APC government in Aso Rock, Boko Haram restiveness will disappear. This is because the grievances of injustice, corruption, insensitivity, hopelessness and unemployment adduced by the sect would have been resolved.” – APC Chieftain, Ayo Akande. Read more

Soldiers Rebel over Lack of Weapons to Fight Boko Haram

A group of soldiers in the North-eastern part of the country is refusing to fight Islamist sect, Boko Haram, until they receive better equipment, one of the mutineers has told the BBC Hausa Service.

The soldier, who requested anonymity, said at least 40 of his colleagues would refuse orders to be deployed to battle the insurgents. Read more

NUPENG Decries IOCs’ Disposition to Local Content Agenda

THE Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), has flayed the recent plot by some International Oil Companies (IOCs) to boycott the local content agenda of the Federal Government, through a plot to oust an indigenous company from a major gas maintenance project in Port Harcourt.

The oil workers, in a communique issued after an emergency meeting held recently, described the move by the Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) and GE Oil and Gas to oust Arco Petrochemichal and Engineering Company Plc from the project jointly won with its partners (G.E) in 2006 as unfortunate. Read more

Sterling Bank bags CBNs Best Performing Bank Award

The leading role of Sterling Bank in Agricultural financing was rewarded in Abuja yesterday as the Central Bank of Nigeria conferred on the Bank the Best Performing Bank under Commercial Agriculture Credit Scheme (CACS).

The Award was presented to the Bank at the CBN’s Annual Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Finance Conference held at the Sheraton Hotel & Towers, Abuja. Read more

Kofi Annan, Obasanjo to meet Mahama today

The Chairman of the West Africa Commission on Drugs, Olusegun Obasanjo and Kofi Annan, Chair of the Kofi Annan Foundation, will today meet with Ghana’s President, John Mahama, Chair of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to discuss regional responses to the growing drugs threat in West Africa. Read more

Lagos will deliver portable water by 2020 –Fashola

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, on Tuesday assured that the state would meet the demand of potable water supply to residents by 2020.

Fashola who gave the assurance after inspecting construction work in Adiyan Water Works, said the project was designed to put an end to scarcity of potable water supply to the residents. Read more

Monthly Oil Revenue Declines to N630.3bn in July

Production hiccups including a force majeure declared by Shell, shutdown of trunk lines and pipelines at Akpo and Bonny terminals caused a significant decline in monthly receipts as gross revenue for July dropped by about N154.5 billion to about N630.3 billion compared to about N784.8 billion in June.

Also, a substantial decline in Company Income Tax (CIT) has further dampened the prospects for higher collections for the month. Read more

Forte Oil May Expand Operations into Upstream Sector

AS part of its strategic plans to enhance profitability and increase shareholders value, Forte oil Plc may diversify into the upstream sector in a near future.

Addressing stockbrokers during the company’s ‘Facts behind the Figures’ in Lagos yesterday, the Chief Executive Officer of the company, Akin Akinfenwa said: “Upstream diversification is to be managed properly, considering the level of investment required. We are into petroleum retailing and marketing but if we are going into the upstream, we would form strategic alliances so that we can share the risk together because there is no technical expertise for it now. Read more

Nigeria’s Electricity Consumption Per Capita Lowest in Africa

Nigeria’s electricity consumption per capital has been adjudged to be the lowest in Africa, according to a report by Agusto& Co. The country’s electricity consumption per capital, measured by the World Bank at 149 KWH, is low due to self generation by most of the citizenry which is often not captured. Read more

External reserves record 0.44% growth in August

The ambitious growth in nation’s external reserves weakened in the first 18 days of the August, going by latest data by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

During the period, reserves level rose by just $173.92 million or 0.44 per cent to $39.574 billion, as against $39.4 billion at the end of July. Read more

Nigeria’s Public Debt Portfolio Now N10.5tn

The Director General, Debt Management Office (DMO), Dr. Abraham Nwankwo, has said the country’s current public debt portfolio made up of both domestic and international borrowings stands at about N10.5 trillion compared to about N10 trillion in December 2013.

He said the debts remained sustainable and tailored to reflect challenges and aspirations of the country. Read more